Aeromarine boat



SGP*- 24 194@ T. M. FINLEY AEROHARINE BOAT r'nedreb. 2. 195s s smits-sheet z Naim @www T. M. FNLEY AEROIARINE BOAT Sept. 24, 1940.

Filed Feb. 2. 1938 3 Shoots-Sheet 5 4Patenuai Sept. 24,1940

UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE I Application February 2,

Claims.

The invention relates to an aeromarine boat.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a boat of great speed, relatively low horsepower and high safety element constructed and .5 adapted to operate on the surface of the water i and not in the water so that resistance to the forward movement of the vehicle is reduced to a minimum. Another object of the invention is to equip the lo aeromarine' boat with an airfoil adapted in the forward movement of the boat to sustain a portion of the weight of the body of the boat and its contents and contain an air tun'nel of the type as u shown, described and claimed in-my copending application filed May 20, 1935, Serial No. 22,467, together with the associated means of propulsion, wherebygreat speed at the expenditure of a minimum amount of power is obtained as explained in the aforesaid application. y

It is also an object of the present invention to eliminate to a great extentkthe resistance encountered by a boat incident to driving it through the water and to provide a drive entirelyin the air above the surface of the water and substantially entirely out of contact with the same. The hull supports the load only when at rest or at very low speeds as the superstructure surrounding the tunnel or thrust tube is of airfoil design or lifting surface acting with the same effect as an airplane wing which will carry any amount of the total weight desired up to the point of actually lifting the entire machine into the air so that water resistance is almost entirely eliminated and air resistance ordinarily encountered is transformed into propulsive power.

It is also an object of the invention to equip the hull of the boat with peg drums tapered and provided at their ends with rims and characterized by a great floating power, the amount of which is determined by the number and size of the drums. The rims which are designed for a plurality of purposes are adapted to operate on hard surfaces such as vsand and gravel bars, shoals, wharves, etc., thus affording protection against damage to their surfaces and also protecting the hull of the boat from underwater objects and surface floating objects and in addition preventing the drums from throwing sheet water in either direction and holding it confined underneath the drums.

With these and other objects in view, the in vention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims 193s, serialNo. 1ss,3'z'z y (ci. 244-50) hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and details of construction, within-the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages ofthe '5 invention.l

In the drawings: 0

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of an aeromarine boat constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a reverse p1 same.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the aeromarine boat.

Fig. 4 is ay transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig, 2. Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the aeromarine boat.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating ap- 20 proximately the slip stream and the vacuum areas of the tunnel.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated one embodiment of the invention, the aeromarine boat kcomprises in its construction a 25 hull l and an upper airfoil superstructure 2 united or connected with the hull at the top thereof in any desired manner. The hull I which is decked over is preferably of the conventional contour of the speed boat type but it 30 may be of any desiredform and in practice it is designed to be provided with entrance openings and closures, windows or portholes and other accessories are omitted for convenience of illustration to simplify the drawings. may consist of a shell as illustrated in the drawings is provided at the bottom with front and rear drum receiving pockets 3 and 4 of approximately semi-cylindrical form to provide housing cavities for front and rear drums 5 and'6. The front and 40 rear drum receiving pockets or cavities 3 and 4 are open at the bottom and outer ends and have top and inner end Walls. as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings. The top walls 'l of the front pockets .3 incline upwardly and out- 45 wardly and the inner end walls 8 are arranged at an angle to each other and converge downwardly. The top walls 9 of the rear pockets have a slight downward and outward inclination while the inner end walls l0 are disposed vertically but the 50 configuration of the pockets or cavities may be varied to suit the size and arrangement of the drums as will be readily understood.

The front and rear drums are reversely tapered and are of peg formation and are provided 55 10 an view of the hull of th The hull which 35 at their inner ends and at their outer ends respectively with rims II and I2 and I8 and I4. The front drums are mounted on inclined shafts I5 which are journaled in suitable bearings I8 and I1. The'inner bearings are carried by the hull centrally thereof at the inner walls 8 of the pockets 3, and the outer bearings I1 are carried by suitable brackets I8 preferably consisting of lINS arms or braces extending upwardly at an angle to each other and suitably secured at their upper ends to the hull. The rear drums are mounted on a continuous horizontal shaft Iljournaled in central bearings and outer bearings 2I of bearing brackets 22 constructed similar to the bearing brackets I8. The front and rear bearing brackets' may be varied as to size and number of the braces or arms to secure the desired strength and rigidity. While a continuous horizontal shaft I8 is illustrated in Fig. 5 of the drawings, the rear drums may be mounted in any other desired manner. The pockets or cavities 3 and 4 as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings taper longitudinally to conform to the contour of the hull of the boat. l The peg drums 5 and 6, are characterized by great fioating power depending on 4the size and number of the drums and while only front and Vrear drums are illustratedin the accompanyingA the boat.

drawings, the number of pairs of drums and their arrangement may be varied. The inner and outer rims of the member of each pair of drums correspond in diameter for adapting the drum to roll on hard surfaces such as sand and gravel bars, wharves and other hard surfaces and at the same time they protect the surfaces of thedrums and the bottom of the boat from damage from underwater and floating objects and at the same time the rims prevent the drums from throwing sheet water laterally of the boat and they hold the' water and confine the same underneath the drums.

The front drums taper inwardly and are set at an inclination and incline downwardly and inwardly in opposite directions converging -towards the central portion of the hull. The rear drums are tapered outwardly and are arranged horizontally. The particular arrangement 'of the front and rear drums facilitates the control of In making turns the boat is banked just as an airplane is banked. For example, consider that the boat is making a right turn, and will bank over on her right side. The left drums will lift either entirely out of the water or sufilciently high to lower materially resistance encountered, while the right drums will be sub-` merged, greatly increasingvtheir resistance. It will be obvious that the forward drum with its inwardly sloping surface -will press the forward end pf the boat towards theinner part of the circle of the turn; likewise, the rear drum on the right hand side will forcibly throw the rear end of the boat towards the outer rim of the circle, which double action of itself will completely turn the boat ina very small area.

The airfoil superstructure 2 is substantially prolate spheroid cross sectionally and it tapers laterally outwardly at each side of the center presenting an upper convex surface 28 and a lower convex surface 24 which if divided or interrupted by the central connection or connected portion 25 of the superstructure with the deck or ceiling of the hull. While curved convex sur- 7 of the drawings.

mum ground surface. The airfoil superstructure which may be of any preferred construction' may conveniently consist of inner and outer shells 28 and 21 suitably connected at their sides and ends. The inner shell provides the contour of the air tunnel 28 and the outer shell supplies the contour of the airfoil. The intervening space 28 between the inner and outer shells of the airfoil superstructure provides convenient means for housing parts of the operating mechanism for ailerons and air rudders 3l located at opposite sides of the rear end of the tunnel 28. The space 29 will also afford ample space for bracing Athe inner and outer shells should it become necessary because of the size of the boats.

The air tunnel 28 which is slightly flared at the top and bottom portions 82 and 33`at the entrance end in width tapers from the front to the rear end and has straight side walls converging as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 3 of the drawings and as diagrammatically shown in Fig. In Fig. 'l of the drawings the slip stream is indicated by the arrows 84.

Front and rear or fore and aft propellers 85 and.l

36 are shown but the number and size of the propellers may be varied to suit the capacity of the aeromarine boat and to produce a vacuum between the walls of the tunnel and the slip stream and a vacuum at the front end of the tunnel with the rocket effect where the slip stream emerges from the tunnel as explained in the aforesaid application.

The airfoil superstructure cooperates with the drums underneath the hull of the boat and renders the operation of the peg drums both in reducing resistance to the forward progress of the boat and in the control of the boat more effective. It relieves .the aeromarine boat of the maior portion of its weight andcargo and enables the drums to travel on the surface of the water and at the same time maintain constant contact with the surface of the water.

The form of the airfoil superstructure which' in front elevation or cross section is of the general shape of a football seen in side elevation may be varied in contour both at the top and bottom surfaces. The top and bottom surfaces may be made to correspond exactly in shape with each other or they may be constructed with one or the other having a steeper pitch and a `more rounded form with more square feet of area. The purpose of the shape of the airfoil superstructure is twofold; first, it furnishes more ground or lifting surface for air lift; second, it presents less surface to a side wind of high velocity that otherwise would have a tendency to blow the boat over on its side. Such a prolate spheroid may be so constructed that its side edges arev not only sharp,

lbut with its top surface steeper and having a greater area than its lower lifting surface so that when the boat is standing or running crosswise to a wind of high velocity the tendency will be to depress the edge facing the wind instead of moving such edge in an upward direction. Such prolate spheroid shape`also tends to create a rarified air condition above the other side of the boat, which will assist in counteracting any tendency of the wind to throw the boat over on its side.

The top of the airfoil superstructure may be utilized for launching overloaded seaplanes, which would rise from the superstructure when the aeromarine boat attains high speed. This will afford an effective way for launching planes for the reason that the aeromarine boat can attain greater speeds on the surface of the water l 9,916,919 in a shorter time than can be attained by a seathe present invention illustration thereof is deemed unnecessary and the advantages of the structure as shown will be clear.

The tunnel 28 through the superstructure in which the propellers operate is 'tapering or fan shaped or V-shaped in horizontal section. Its greatest transverse dimensions are at the front or contact end of the tunnel, and it then tapers at any desired degree to the extreme end of the boat and may be equipped with as many propellers as desired. All air displaced at the front end of the airfoil superstructure must pass through these high-powered propellers, thereby creating a vacuum along the tapering side vwalls and in front of the air'foil body or superstructure in the same manner as explained in the aforesaid application. The tapering orconverging walls may taper verticallyas well as horizontally, that is,` the walls of the tunnel may be converged rearwardly above and below, as well as along the sides, or on the sides only, or above and below and not along the sides, as may be desired. Such tapering walls may also be regular or irregular. Fig. 3 shows the top of the airfoil body shorter than the bottom of the body at the front end of the same. The purpose of such construction is to prevent the propellers from lessening the density of the air which passes under the ground surface of the airfoil; otherwise, the lift would be. reduced. At the same time they will affect the densityof the air above the body with a tendency to reduce such density. It is obvious that this is an advantage.

The drums may be so arranged as to position and size as 'to give to the boat a longitudinal rocking effect the same as it will have transversely, as above described. This arrangement will facilitate the effects'of the ailerons or elevator control planes by giving to themgreater ease and latitude inreducing or increasing the pitch of the airfoil in operation, on principle of flying machines.

'I'he propellers 36 and 31, which are of the type usually employed in airplanes, are mountedon short horizontal shafts 38 and 39, which are journaled in suitable bearings of spaced supports 40 and 4| and are connected by belts 42 and 43 with power delivery shafts 44 and 45 of internal commay be provided for transmitting motion from` the motors to the propellers. The power units, which are more or less diagrammatlcally shown, may be mounted in any desired manner.

'I'he ailerons 30 are mounted on alined transverse shafts 48 journaled in suitable bearings of the airfoil superstructure and extending from the side edges of the airfoil to points adjacent the median plane of the same and provided at inner ends with bevel gears 49 which mesh with a bevel gear 50, of a central longitudinal .shaft located at the top of the airfoil superstructure in the space 29 between the inner and outer shells 25 and 21 and extending substantially the/'en-q tire length of the same. The longitudinal shaft 5| which is designed to be journaled in suitable bearings is provided at its rear end with a worm 52, which-meshes with a worm wheel 53 of a relatively short transverse shaft 54 of a length to extend substantially equal-to the width of the rear end of the tunnel and designed to be journaled in suitable-bearings. 'I'he rear transverse shaft 54 is provided at its ends with pulleys 55, which may if desired be in the form of sprocket wheels for positively meshing with belts or bands .'6 arranged on said pulleys 55 and also on pul- -leys 51 of vertical shafts 58 of the air rudders 3|.

The pulleys 51 may also consist of sprocket wheels and mesh with chain portions of the bands or chain belts. When-the longitudinal shaft 5 2 is rotated the ailerons and the air rudders are simultaneously operated similar to airplane controls, the aileron shafts being rotated in opposite directions by the bevel gearing. The air rudders are mounted on spaced supports 59 located at opposite sides of the rear end of the tunnel and mounted on and extending .upwardly from the stern portion of the hull. 'I'he -control means consisting of the ailerons and the air rudders may be mounted in any other suitable manner, and the illustrationvof these features is, therefore. more or less diagrammatic..

'I'he front end of the longitudinal shaft is pro-- vided with a bevel gear 60, which meshes with a bevelv gear 6| fixed to the upper end of a front vertical shaft 52. The front vertical shaft which extends from the top of the airfoil superstructure downwardly to the interior of the hull at the bow thereof is provided at its lower end with a bevel gear 53, which meshes with a bevel gear 64 suitably connected with aA steering wheel 65. Varlous other means may be provided for operating the ailerons and the air rudders but the mechanism illustrated is advantageous and a suitable housing (not shown) for the front vertical shaft will operate as a strut for bracing the superstructure.

What is claimed is:

1. An aeromarine boat including a hull provided with transversely disposed drums arranged' in pairs and the drums of each pair being tapered and progressively decreasing in diameter from one end to the other, each drum forming a truncated cone and provided at its ends with combined water confining and tread rims.

2. An aeromarine boat including a hull provided at the front and rear with transversely disposed drums arranged. in pairs and each drum being tapered and progressively decreasing in diameter from one end to the other forming a truncated cone and, each drum being provided at its ends with combined water confining and tread rims, the front drums being of greater size than the rear drums and set at an inclination and having their taper directed inwardly with respect to thev boat and the smaller rear drums being substantially horizontal and having their taper directed outwardly. y

3. An aeromarine-boat including a hull and a rigid superstructure substantially rectangular in plan view and cross-sectionally tapered in opposite directions from the central portion to the side edges and connected along the central portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull at an inclination to the side edges of the superstructure, said superstructure constituting an airfoil adapted to be in plan view and laterally tapered on oppositeacted on by the air when the boat is in motion, whereby the air will exert a lifting effect on the superstructure. w

4. An aeromarine boat including a hull and an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular in plan view and cross-sectionally tapered in opposite directions from the central portion to the side edges and connected along the central portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull at an inclination to the side edges of the superstructure, said superstructure constituting an airfoil adapted to be acted onby the air when the boat is in motion, whereby the air will exert a lifting effect on the superstructure, said superstructure being also'pr vided with a single continuous unobstructed air tunnel tapered transversely from the center to the sides thereof, and a propeller operating in the tunnel for propelling the boat and arranged to createra vacuum at the leading edge of the superstructure.

-5. An aeromarine boat including a -hull and an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular sides of its center and provided with a single continuous unobstructed laterally tapered central air tunnel, said superstructure being connected along thecentral portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally extending wing formations extending the entire length of the superstrucure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air .will exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, and a propeller operating in the tunnel for propelling the boat and arranged to create a vacuum at the leading edge of the superstructure.

6. An aeromarine boat including a hull, and an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular in .plan view and laterally tapered in opposite directions from the central portion of the airfoil superstructure to the side edges thereof and having a lower convex surface, said airfoil superstructure being connected along the central portion of its bottom to the hull, and the side portions of its bottom surface forming integral laterally projecting wing formations of substantially uniform width and extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull at an inclination to theside edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will act on said lifting surfaces and exert a lifting effect on the superstructure, and means for propelling the boat.

'7. An aeromarine boat including a hull, and an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular in plan view and laterally tapered in opposite directions from the central portion of the'airfoil to the side edges thereof and presenting a convex upper surface, said airfoil superstructure being connected along the central portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations of substantially uniform width and extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a lifting force ag nst the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, d means for propelling the boat.

8. An aeromarine boat including a hull, an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular in plan view and laterally'tapered in opposite directions from the central portion of the airfoil superstructure to the side edges thereof, and presenting convex upper and lower surfaces said airfoil superstructure Vbeing connected along the central -portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations of substantially uniform width and extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, and means for propelling the boat.

9. An aeromarine boat including a hull, an airfoil superstructure substantially oblong in plan view and cross-sectionally tapered from the central portion tothe side edges of the airfoil superstructure, said airfoil superstructure presenting at opposite sides of its bottom integral laterally pro- ,'lecting wing formations of substantially uniform width and extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly (and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion vthe air will exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airi'oil superstructure, `and means for propelling the boat.

10. Anaeromarine boat including a hull, an airfoil superstructure substantially rectangular in plan view and tapered in opposite directions from the central portion of the superstructure to the side edges thereof and provided with an inner shell defining a single continuous tunnel tapered rearwardly from 'front to rear in horizontal section, said superstructure being connected along the central portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sidesof said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations of substantially uniform width extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a-lifting force against the bottom of the airfoilsuperstructure, and a propeller operating within the tunnel for propelling the boat and arranged to create a vacuum at the leading edge of the superstructure and the sides of the tapering tunnel.

ing lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the yacusan superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, and a propeller operating in the tunnel and arranged 'to create a vacuum at the leading edge of the superstructure and the sides of the tapering tunnel.

12. An aeromarine boat including a'hull, and an airfoil superstructure substantially oblong in plan view and `cross-sectionally tapered from the centralportion to the side edges of the airfoil and provided with` an'inner shell dening a single continuous central longitudinal air tunnel tapered rearwardly and having walls converging in straight lines' from the front end of the tunnel to the rear end thereof, said airfoil superstructure being connected along the central portion of its bottom with the hull and presenting at opposite sides of said central bottom portion integral laterally projecting wing formations of substantially uniform width extending the entire length of the superstructure and having lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull to the side edges of the superstructure, whereby when the boat is in motion the air vwill exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, and a propeller operating in the tunnel and arranged to create a vacuum at the leading edge of the superstructure and the sides of the tapering tunnel.

13. An aeromarine boat including a hull, an airfoil superstructure substantially oblong in plan view and cross-sectionaliy tapered from the central portion to the side edges of the airfoil superstructure and provided with a longitudinal tunnel,

said airfoil superstructure being connected alongA the central portion of its bottom with the hull.

and presenting at opposite' sides of said central bottom portion lifting surfaces extending upwardly and outwardly from the hull, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a -lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, ailerons mounted on the superstructure at the rear end thereof, vertical ait rudders located at opposite sides of the rear'end boat is in motion the air will exert a lifting force against the bottom of the airfoil superstructure, ailerons mounted on the superstructure at the rear end thereof, vertical air rudders located at opposite sides of the rear end ofthe tunnel, control mechanism having a single operating member connected with the air rudders and the ailerons for simultaneously operating the same, or either of them should the lother become inoperative through injury, and a .propeller operating in the tunnel.

15. A n aeromarine boat including a hull, an

airfoil superstructure substantially oblong in plan View and cross-sectionally tapered from the central portion to the side edges of the airfoil superstructure and provided with a longitudinal tun' nel, said airfoil superstructure being connected along the central portion of its bottoni with the hull and presenting at opposite sides' of said central bottom portion lifting surfac'es extending upwardly and outwardly from thehull, whereby when the boat is in motion the air will exert a lifting force against the bottom oi the airfoil superstructure, a propeller operating in the tunnel, vertical air rudders located at opposite sides of the rear end of the tunnel, ailerons locatedat the rear end of the airfoil superstructure, and

lerons. i

- 'THOMAS M. FINLEY.

control mechanism for the rudders andl the ai- 

